


Christmas

by HeatherRoses



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Gift Exchange, Hangover, M/M, Personal Assistant Rhys (Borderlands), all i know is that a lot of my family members put that crap in everything, featuring: my trying to guess wtf baileys tastes like, including eggnog, mention of vaughn/axton
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21986797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherRoses/pseuds/HeatherRoses
Summary: A fake fire needs no chimney, and having one on a space station is an awful idea. While Santa is out of the question, Rhys gets an even better surprise.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Kudos: 16





	Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> My part for the 2019 Borderlands Gift Exchange! Here's a fic for @StressSnake! I hope everyone had fun in this gift exchange and that my giftee liked this! Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

Fuck Hyperion, fuck Pandora, and, most of all, fuck vaults. Rhys Strongfork-Lawrence took an angry sip of his eggnog before adding another shot of Bailey's. Alone, he sat cross-legged next to the faux-fire heater in his and Jack's living room, wearing Jack's signature sweater and a pair of socks with lit Christmas trees. Even though these socks spurred a childish happiness inside him, they could not tame his anger. 

Rhys forwent the eggnog after a few minutes of pouting, choosing to drink the liqueur straight from the bottle instead. Would he end up feeling awful Christmas morning? Yes. Did that matter? Not really. Jack was off on Pandora, chasing some stupid vault. To be entirely fair, both Rhys and Jack were well aware that the vault would be opening late December. Even so, both of the men were dismayed that the opening would just so happen to fall on their first official Christmas together, leaving the personal assistant-turned-lover alone. Even his best bro couldn’t celebrate with him-- he was off on one of the Edens with Axton. Yvette was unavailable, too, due to a nasty flu going through the station. At least if Rhys were to be hungover, he wouldn’t be getting Jack sick. 

Rhys cast a forlorn look to the absolute mountain of presents by the Christmas tree at his right. Maybe it was the alcohol, but they seemed to almost be mocking him. Even if Jack had all of the money in the universe-- which he pretty much does-- he still only has one of him. The digi-clones wouldn’t fix that, nor would the dopplegangers. Even if Timothy shared the same last name as Jack, he still wasn’t the man Rhys married.

“Okay! Enough of this crap.” Rhys flexed his hands in annoyance. While this Christmas was shitty, he didn’t have to wallow in his own despair. Instead, he could wallow in cat videos on the ECHOnet. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket while his ECHO eye began to play some “classic cat vids.” Curling up by the fake fire, Rhys slowly fell asleep.

* * *

“Oh, son of a taint!” Jack hissed as Timothy jabbed him with an insta-health.  
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” After checking Jack’s harness, Tim strapped himself into tone of the rocket’s seats. “We’re all good here,” Tim announced to the pilot.  
“What’s the time?” Despite having a perfectly good watch (at least it was perfectly good yesterday,) Jack’s head throbbed fiercely even if he opened his eyes. The acceleration into space would worsen that without a doubt, but it was worth it.  
“Eleven ‘til midnight, Helios. I’ll get you another insta once we’ve hit space.”  
“Noted. Damn, I might actually make it.” Jack’s smile was a mixture of relief, sleepiness, and excitement. Jack’s smiling for non-violent reasons still perturbed Timothy, but he was getting increasingly used to it as the months went on.  
Knowing better than to rib Jack about not really making it, Tim kept his opinion to himself. “Yeah, you should. Rhys is probably sleeping, yeah?”  
Jack snorted. “Typically, yeah. He doesn’t know I’m coming up early, so unless he’s working on something he should be.”

* * *

Jack would have tenderly turned the doorknob to avoid signalling his presence, but his sliding door had no knob and was well oiled. That puppy wasn’t going to make any noise. He’d only have to worry about the shower, but if he used the one on the opposite side of the apartment, then Rhys shouldn’t be able to hear it from the bedroom.  
Except, one problem about that. Rhys was laying on the floor. Jack frowned. There were two options: he could risk any of the two showers waking Rhys up, or he could move Rhys into the bedroom. However, the last time that Jack got caked blood on Rhys ended up with a cold shoulder that lasted for about two days. This was also weird Eridian blood, and his Rhysie would probably be even more upset by that getting on him.  
Jack shrugged off his jacket and gently placed it on the stone floor. He slid off his shoes before kneeling next to Rhys. Was that alcohol? Jack picked up the bottle and shook it. It wasn’t empty. Sweet. Jack took a quick gulp of it. Too sweet. Jack’s face scrunched in disgust as he tried to get the taste out of his mouth. Maybe he should check the label next time.  
Jack looked down at his husband, and softly sighed. He could see the faint glow of his eye through Rhys’s eyelid. Freaky, but kinda cool, Jack noted. He looked to the sides of Rhys’s head. Bingo: earbuds. Shower time, and then “get Rhys into bed, lest his back decides to murder him in his fitful sleep” time. 

* * *

Blood-free and pyjama-clad, Jack returned to Rhys. He slowly slid his arms beneath the younger man, and pulled him up to his chest. Honestly, Jack would be content to just stay like this forever. Rhys was in his arms; he was safe. Drooling somethin’ awful, but safe.  
Even so, the plan was to get Rhys into bed, not to just bridal carry him for an indeterminate amount of time. Jack grunted as he rose. Walking cautiously, he made his way towards the bedroom. There shouldn’t have been anything on the floor, but Jack didn’t want to take any chances. Upon reaching the (frankly massive) bed, Jack set Rhys down on the silken black sheets. He laid down next to his husband and pulled the blankets over them both. He wrapped a newly-scarred arm around Rhys’s waist, and pressed himself against him. As his eyes grew heavy, he buried his face in Rhys’s soft hair.

* * *

“JACK!” Rhys’s scream felt like children jumping on their parents in order to wake them up on Christmas morning. “Shit shit shit that was a mistake!” Jack slowly opened his eyes to find Rhys rubbing his temples.  
“Went too hard on the liquid diabetes?”  
“Maybe. You drink some?”  
“Yeah. Crap tasted like, well, crap. Sugary, sugary crap.”  
“Does not!” Rhys’s protest was quiet, but Jack wasn’t exactly being loud either. They let a beat of silence envelop them before Rhys spoke again. “How are you back already?”  
“Just that awesome, pumpkin. I got some sick new scars too.” Jack grinned up at Rhys and extended his left forearm. “One of the guardians shredded through my arm, but I got it pretty much fixed up. Still scarred, though.”  
“Jack…” Rhys ran his fingers along the three long, thick lines of lighter flesh. They start from a single rough point, then flare out into three distinct lines, showing how exactly the beast maimed him.  
“D’you not think it’s cool?” Jack cocked an eyebrow.  
“No- it’s not that, I just… be careful Jack. I worry about you.”  
Jack only chuckled in response. He sat up and enveloped Rhys into a strong hug.  
“I know, I know. You always make it back.”  
“Damn right I do, sweetpea. I even made it back in time to surprise you!” Jack bestowed quiet, soft kisses on Rhys’s temple.  
“And scared the crap out of me, thank you.”  
“You’re welcome.” Smug, Jack went in for a proper kiss. He firmly cupped Rhys’s face with his right hand. Rhys melted into his touch and wrapped his arms around Jack’s shoulders. Rhys pulled away from the kiss after a few moments and placed his throbbing forehead onto Jack’s.  
“Merry Christmas.”  
“You too, kiddo. Presents?”  
“Presents.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, second fic on this website. I just learned about the skin feature, and it is not surprising at all that the only two skins (that I have seen at least) are for Homestuck and Undertale. 
> 
> Honestly? This fic was inspired by Jumin's Valentine's Day route in Mystic Messenger. Despite my being Very Removed from both the game and fandom.... I guess CEO-related habits die hard?


End file.
